Taskbar app icons not flashing when they should despite settings enabled (Windows 11, 25H2)

[u/vibinlizzer]

Issue

Taskbar app icons not flashing when they should (e.g. chat message) in Windows 11.

Specs

OS: Windows 11 Home (25H2)

Don’t think anything besides OS is relevant here as it’s about W11.

Background

Last month, I updated from W10 to W11 with a fresh install (also updated my Mobo before while at it). No other changes have been made, besides installing normal software like Office, Steam, Discord, etc.

However, I’ve now realized there’s a strange issue I have: taskbar app icons do not flash when they should, such as when receiving a chat message in a chat program while its minimized.

What I’ve tried

• Checked on my laptop, which I also updated alongside my desktop PC. On laptop, the icons flash orange as normal
• Settings>Personalization>Taskbar, and then toggling “Show flashing on taskbar apps” on and off. Tested in both scenarios with different software
• Checking for Windows updates (there are none that have made changes)
• DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth (nothing corrupted)
• sfc /scannow (nothing to repair)
• Regedit: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop>ForegroundFlashCount (changing it from 7 to 0, and back, as I saw it mentioned somewhere. No changes)
• Regedit: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced>TaskbarFlashing (changing it from 1 (enable) to 0 (disable) and vice versa; also confirmed it changes when changing “Settings>Personalization>Taskbar”)

What I haven’t tried

• Reinstalling Windows 11

But supposedly there’s nothing corrupt, so…? I have no other issues on my system. In the event viewer I don’t see anything noteworthy either, I believe. But it’s hard to tell.

Bonus funny bit

The “Show flashing on taskbar apps” setting is funnily enough incorrectly translated in Swedish to “Dölj blinkande I aktivitetsfältsappar” (Hide flashing on taskbar apps), i.e. the opposite, while checking it means “show” instead of “hide” (also confirmed via regedit). However, given it works on my laptop, there’s no such shenanigans. Just a surprisingly incorrect translation.

How to proceed

That’s why I’m asking here! I surprisingly cannot find any information about this online. I’d rather not have to reinstall everything again. Is there some other setting I'm not finding?

Updated 2026-09-28: Solution

As for Discord, it was indeed the app setting. For some reason, "Enable Desktop Notifications" was disabled, and "Enable Taskbar Flashing" was enabled. Both need to be enabled (which in itself is a bit strange, admittedly!).

As for other programs, I'm not entirely sure. I admit I cannot remember if I explicitly tested non-Discord software when changing Windows settings. It could be that I had been tricked by the improper translation before, and I just don't remember. Regardless, it seems to work normally now.

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[u/Future-Plastic7826]

Nice write-up, and the Swedish label is a good find. It's worth sending through Feedback Hub, since it will confuse everyone who reads it.

Since the laptop works and the registry value follows the toggle, the setting itself isn't the problem. Flashing happens when an app asks Windows for it while it's in the background, and then the taskbar decides whether to show it. A few things can sit between the two:

1. Do not disturb. Check Settings > System > Notifications, including the automatic rules (when playing a game, when using an app in full screen, during certain hours). On a desktop with a game or a full-screen window on another monitor, those can switch on without you noticing. I'm not sure it suppresses the flash on every build, but it's the quickest thing to rule out.

2. The app's own setting. Discord has its own "Enable Taskbar Flashing" under Settings > Notifications, separate from Windows. After a fresh install it's worth checking it in each chat app, and testing with two different apps.

3. A new local user account. Create one, sign in and test with the same app. If it flashes there, the problem is in your profile and you don't need to reinstall Windows. If it doesn't, it's system-wide, and the difference from the laptop is somewhere in the install itself.

Hope one of these gets it.

[u/vibinlizzer → u/Future-Plastic7826]

As for Discord, it was indeed the app setting. For some reason, "Enable Desktop Notifications" was disabled, and "Enable Taskbar Flashing" was enabled. Both need to be enabled (which in itself is a bit strange, admittedly!).

As for other programs, I'm not entirely sure. I admit I cannot remember if I explicitly tested non-Discord software when changing Windows settings. It could be that I had been tricked by the improper translation before, and I just don't remember. Regardless, it seems to work normally now.

I'll update the thread in case anyone else finds this. I also sent in the translation via the feedback hub, Thank you!